Neary is in Grand Rapids to lead the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys in a concert titled "Music for Royal Occasions."

The free concert on Friday evening will include music performed at both Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and Princess Diana's funeral.

"They had over a year to prepare," he recalled about the coronation. "We had six days for the funeral. It just concentrates the mind."

Friday's public performance, which also will be given privately on Saturday for the museum's Centennial Gala, will include only portions of the original ceremonies. The June 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abby was the first British coronation televised.

"The service book ran to 200 pages. There was an incredible amount of music," said Neary, who has visited here twice previously, in May 2009 and again last May, to work with the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys, which sings in the English cathedral tradition of music.

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"Music for Royal Occasions" also will include music from the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in July 1981 in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, of which Neary wasn't a participant; and the Golden Wedding Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in November 1997, which Neary organized.

Grand Rapids soprano Diane Penning and organist Kenneth Bos will participate in the performance of the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys, directed by Scott Bosscher.

Though Nearly had only met Princess Diana briefly on a couple of occasions following services at Westminster Abbey, as organist and master of the choristers, he was in charge of the music for her funeral, which included traditional music as well as Elton John's version of his song "Candle in the Wind" with new lyrics by his songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin.

"You could put part of the blame on me," Neary recalled. "If we hadn't had something like that, people wouldn't have felt that the service was inclusive enough."